South Carolina's Tim Scott is among the sponsors of bipartisan legislation to ensure federal agencies and state governments accurately report relevant criminal history to the FBI's database of prohibited gun buyers.

The Republican senator is one of more than half a dozen sponsors of the "Fix NICS Act," which would penalize federal agencies that fail to properly report required records. It also rewards states that comply by providing them with federal grant preferences.

The measure comes after the Air Force failed to report the criminal history of the gunman who slaughtered more than two dozen at a Texas church. The Air Force has acknowledged Devin P. Kelley should have had his name and domestic violence conviction submitted to the National Criminal Information Center database.